Device for non-intrusive screening of telephone calls and method thereof

ABSTRACT

A telephone with a call screening device is able to screen automated calls by transmitting a message containing an instruction upon detecting an incoming call. The instruction from the call screening device requests that the calling party respond to the message correctly and in time before the call screening device allows the telephone to ring and the call answered. The instruction contains, inter alia, a string of randomly generated numbers that the calling party is asked to dial as part of his/her response. In the event that the response is not received in time or the response is incorrect, the call screening device terminates the call without the phone ever ringing.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 13/955,968entitled “A Device For Non-Intrusive Screening Of Telephone Calls AndMethod Thereof” and having a filing date of Jul. 31, 2013.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to the field oftelecommunications. In particular, the present invention relates to adevice and method for screening certain telephone calls in a manner thatdoes not disturb the called party.

BACKGROUND

Numerous governmental rules and regulations have been created to protectconsumers from receiving random calls from telemarketers, debtcollecting companies or creditors. For example, debt collectors aretypically limited to calling during a certain time period of aconsumer's business day (e.g., business hours—9:00 am to 5 pm). Also,consumers are able to register and list their phone numbers on a “Do NotCall” list, which supposedly alerts telemarketers of the telephonenumbers that they are not allowed to call. Despite the many rules andmechanisms that have been established to protect consumers from theonslaught of telephone calls daily, many consumers are still beingannoyed by these calls.

A common technique used by consumers and many others who receive manyannoying phone calls throughout each day is to screen the calls withanswering machines. A consumer does not answer a phone call, butintentionally allows a connected answering machine to answer the call.After a few rings, the answering machine will answer the call with abrief message asking the calling party to leave a message. The personbeing called can then hear the message and, in many cases, is able todetermine the identity of the caller. The consumer can then decide toanswer the call or not. While this approach may be effective, it doesnot resolve annoyance and interruption of the consumer throughout theday. Even though the consumer is able to effectively screen out and notanswer unwanted calls, he/she does so at the expense of being disturbedthroughout the day by these types of phone calls.

Many of these calls are automatically performed by a computer that dialsphone numbers automatically and upon getting a response from a calledparty, start to broadcast a previously recorded message to advertise aproduct, a service or to leave a message regarding some type of loan orpayment on which the called party has defaulted. Creditors, andtelemarketers are able to make much more of these types of phone callsusing this method and thus many consumers are being bombarded with suchcalls. In many cases a consumer's answering machine can become fullrelatively quickly on any given day; this is a problem as the consumermay be unable to receive important messages.

Moreover, a consumer has no recourse to complain or register his/herdispleasure at the time of the call; this is because the calling partyis actually a machine and not a human to whom one can convey his/herobjections at the time of the call. These automated calls are mostproblematic because it is hard to trace them and identify the entityresponsible for such calls. Often the parties on whose behalf the callsare made rely on third or even fourth parties to make these calls. Aconsumer who reports these calls to the authorities soon realizes thatit is quite easy for the calling party to change their phone numbers andcontinue to make such calls, which can at best be characterized asannoying and at worst as harassing.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a device and method for screening callsand terminating such calls when they are deemed to be automated calls.The communication device may be installed in a telephone (i.e., POTS,PSTN or IP telephone); that is, it can be part of a communication switchor equipment to which telephones are coupled or it can be a separatedevice in communication with a communication switch. The device,referred herein as a call screening device, comprises a random numbergenerator, and a microprocessor in communication with the random numbergenerator where the microprocessor causes a message to be transmitted inresponse to a received ring signal of an incoming call to thecommunication equipment. The message comprises at least an N-digitstring of numbers generated by the random number generator where N is aninteger equal to 2 or greater. When a response to the message isreceived, the microprocessor does not allow the ring signal to bereceived by the communication equipment and terminates the call if suchresponse either does not contain at least signals representing therandom numbers having been dialed or the response was not receivedwithin a defined period of time.

The method of the present invention provides the steps of detecting anincoming call including the ring signal associated with the incomingcall. If the detected incoming call is from a known or acceptablecalling party, the ring signal is allowed to be received by thecommunication equipment and the call is processed as per the protocolbeing followed by the communication equipment. If, however, the callingparty is not recognized, then the ring signal is intercepted and anN-digit string of numbers is randomly generated where N is equal to 2 orgreater. Further, a message is generated and transmitted to the callingparty instructing the calling party to perform a certain task at leastinvolving dialing the randomly generated numbers within a defined periodof time. If the response to the transmitted message is in compliancewith the instructions in the transmitted message and is received in atimely manner, the incoming ring signal is allowed to be received by thecommunication equipment, and the call is allowed to be processed by thecommunication equipment in accordance with the one or more protocolsbeing followed. If, however, the response does not comply with theinstructions in the transmitted message and/or the response is nottimely, the ring signal is not allowed to be received by thecommunication equipment and the call is terminated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the present invention will become moreapparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken inconjunction with the drawings in which like reference numbers indicateidentical or functionally similar elements.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication system with the device ofthe present invention integrated in communication equipment of thecommunication system.

FIG. 2 is the block diagram of FIG. 1 where the device of the presentinvention is in communication with the communication equipment.

FIG. 3 is shows the device of the present invention integrated into atelephone.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the method of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides a device and method for screening callsand terminating such calls when they are deemed to be automated calls.The communication device may be installed in a telephone (i.e., POTS(Plain Old Telephone Service), PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network)or IP (Internet Protocol) telephone); that is, it can be part of acommunication switch or equipment to which telephones are coupled or itcan be a separate device in communication with a communication switch.The device—referred herein as a call screening device—comprises a randomnumber generator; and a microprocessor in communication with the randomnumber generator where the microprocessor causes a message to betransmitted in response to a received ring signal of a call to thecommunication equipment. The message comprises at least an N-digitstring of numbers randomly generated by the random number generator,where N is an integer equal to 2 or greater. When a response to themessage is received, the microprocessor does not allow the ring signalto be received by the communication equipment and terminates the call ifsuch response either does not contain at least signals representing therandom numbers having been dialed or the response was not receivedwithin a defined time period.

The method of the present invention provides the steps of detecting anincoming call including the ring signal associated with the incomingcall. If the detected incoming call is from a known or acceptablecalling party, the ring signal is allowed to be received by thecommunication equipment and the call is processed as per the protocolbeing followed by the communication equipment. If, however, the callingparty is not recognized, then the ring signal is intercepted and anN-digit string of numbers is randomly generated where N is an integerequal to 2 or greater. Further, a message is generated and transmittedto the calling party instructing the calling party to perform a certaintask at least involving dialing the randomly generated numbers within adefined period of time. If the response to the transmitted message is incompliance with the instructions of the transmitted message and isreceived in a timely manner, the incoming ring signal is allowed to bereceived by the communication equipment, and the call is allowed to beprocessed by the communication equipment in accordance with the one ormore protocols being followed. If, however, the response does not complywith the instructions in the transmitted message and/or the response isnot timely, the ring signal is not allowed to be received by thecommunication equipment and the call is terminated. In sum, if the callis not from a human, the ring signal does not get processed and thus thecalled party's telephone does not ring avoiding that party from beingdisturbed by an automated call.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a block diagram of a communicationsystem that is part of a communication network 100. The communicationsystem comprises communication equipment 102, which may be acommunication switch, for example, and embedded therein (or integratedwith) a Call Screening Device (CSD) 104 of the device of the presentinvention. The communication system is shown having the communicationswitch (including the CSD 104) coupled to a calling party telephone 110via communication link 106 and coupled to the called party telephone 112via communication link 108. The communication links 106 and 108 may beimplemented as one or more communication paths and equipment connectedto each other to form a virtual and/or a physical communication channelallowing information to be exchanged between communication equipment 102and telephones 110 and 112 respectively. The term “couple” or “couple(d)to” as used herein refers to a path or a series of connected paths(permanent or temporary) that allows information (in one or moreformats) or signals to flow from one point or equipment in acommunication network to another point within the same equipment oranother equipment in the same or different communication network inaccordance with the protocol(s) of the communication network(s).

It will be noted that communication switch 102 may represent varioustypes of communication equipment coupled to each other to performvarious processing functions that support and help effectuate theprocessing, transmission and reception of signals between the twotelephones 110 and 112. It will also be noted that the communicationsystem shown in FIG. 1, may comprise more than two telephones coupled tocommunication equipment 102; FIG. 1 is limited to telephones 110 and 112for ease of discussion and explanation. It will be understood, however,that the communication system of FIG. 1 may have communication equipment102 that services more than two telephones at any particular time. Forease of explanation the operation of CSD 104 will be discussed in thecontext of telephone 110 calling telephone 112 both of which are part ofcommunication network 100 or are coupled to communication network 100.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a system where CSD 104 is incommunication with communication equipment 102 (e.g., a communicationswitch). CSD 104 in FIG. 2 operates in much the same manner as inFIG. 1. It will be understood, however, that CSD 104 of FIG. 2 may notbe necessarily co-located with communication equipment 102.Communication link 112, which may be a relatively wide bandwidthcommunication link, couples CSD 104 to communication equipment 102; thatis, CSD 104 may not be proximate to communication equipment 102 and may,in fact, be located miles away from communication equipment 102.Information can then be exchanged between CSD 104 and communicationswitch 102 to allow CSD 104 to operate as per the device of the presentinvention and in accordance with the method of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown CSD 104 integrated within atelephone that can be used in a POTS, PSTN communication system. Anincoming ring signal of an incoming call is intercepted by CSD 104 whichprocesses such signal and also processes caller id information todetermine whether to transfer the ring signal to ring circuit 216 andallow hook switch 220 to close to have the called properly handled inaccordance with a protocol being followed. Unlike in FIG. 2, CSD 104 isnot connected to a communication switch via communication link 112; theport 112A to which communication link 112 would be connected or the port112A that is dedicated to communication link 112 is not connected to anyequipment or device. The port of CSD 104 usually connected tocommunication link 112 is depicted as not being connected to anyequipment because this link is designed for connection to communicationequipment such as a communication switch (102; see FIGS. 1 and 2). WhenCSD 104 is integrated within a standard analog telephone, communicationlink 112 is not used. However, CSD 104 will operate in virtually thesame manner as described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The telephone of FIG. 3 is a device that would be typically used in POTSor PSTN systems. Continuing with the telephone of FIG. 3, the telephoneuses a two-wire system commonly known as tip/ring wires (color codedwhere the tip wire is green and the ring wire is red). The ring wire hasa negative DC (Direct Current) voltage and the tip wire has a voltageset at earth ground (i.e. zero volt). At the input to the telephone, theCSD 104 is connected across the tip wire 208 and ring wire 206 (shown asa dashed line). A hook switch 220 is connected in series with the tipand ring wires (208, 206) respectively as shown. The ring circuit 216 isconnected to CSD 104 via connective path (or connection) 104E, all ofwhich are connected to the input side of the hook switch 220. On theother side of the hook switch 220 a dialer 214 is connected across thetip ring wires as shown followed by coil 222 that performs twofunctions.

First, the coil 222 makes two wire operation possible in that both voicesignals originating from the microphone 204 and voice signals beingreceived by speaker 202 use the same wires. Coil 222 and associatedcomponents (not shown) are able to route microphone voice signalsthrough the hook switch 220 (assuming it is in the closed position) andonto the POTS network (or PSTN) while routing incoming voice signals tothe speaker 202. Second, coil 222 serves to significantly attenuatevoice signals from microphone 204 before they reach speaker 202 whileallowing such voice signals to pass onto the network (e.g., POTS orPSTN). The conductors 206 and 218 representing the ring wire are shownin dashed lines for ease of reference.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a block diagram of CSD 104 is shown. In theembodiment shown, CSD 104 comprises differential DTMF (Dual Tone MultiFrequency) receiver 104C (also used as a regular receiver to receivevoice signals and other signals in addition to dual tone signals),microprocessor 104B, random number generator (RNG) 104A, anddifferential transmitter 104D. Although not shown, microprocessor 104Balso contains a digital transmitter and digital receiver. Microprocessor104B has an input/output port 112A to which communication link 112 canbe connected (see FIG. 2). Communication link 112 is not connected toCSD 104 in FIG. 4, but is shown in dashed lines signifying that it wouldbe connected to port 112A (see FIG. 2) when CSD 104 is interfaced tocommunication switch 102 of FIG. 2 or other similar communicationequipment. Microprocessor 104 has emanating therefrom control line 104Fand control line 104E used respectively to control hook switch 220 andRing circuit 216 (see FIG. 3). Signals carried by Tip/Ring conductingpaths 104J and 104K are applied to the input of DTMF receiver 104C andmicroprocessor 104B (via an interface circuit including an Analog toDigital circuit—not shown).

Microprocessor 104B may generate messages in analog and/or digital form(e.g., synthesized voice, text, or other types of signals) and transmitsuch messages via the port 112A for connection to communication link 112or via path 104M through transmitter 104D, through closed switches 104Gand 104H and onto paths 104J and 104K. Note that switches 104G and 104Hare controlled by microprocessor 104B via the control lines shown asdashed lines. Microprocessor 104B can retrieve dialed number informationfrom DTMF receiver 104C and can also control the overall operation ofDTMF receiver 104C including deactivating DTMF receiver 104C. DTMFreceiver 104C is used to receive and detect numbers (transmitted as dualtone signals) dialed by a calling party to determine if the randomlygenerated string of numbers in the transmitted message are part of theresponse from the calling party. Microprocessor 104B exchangesinformation with DTMF receiver 104C and controls the overall operationof DTMF receiver 104C via path 104L. DTMF receiver 104C may haveadditional receivers for receiving other types of analog signals (e.g.,voice signals). It will be understood therefore that, based on the abovedescription of CSD 104 of FIG. 4, such a device is applicable to digitaland/or analog networks and can be used in connection with or engagestandard analog telephones, digital telephones, and telephones with textcapabilities; thus CSD 104 can be used with IP telephones (telephonesoperated as per the Internet Protocol) and other digital telephones.Also, CSD 104 can be used in POTS and PSTN and other analog networks.Further, CSD 104 can be used in digital networks such as the Internet.

Further, when CSD 104 is used in connection with the Internet, a digitaltransmitter (within microprocessor 104B; not shown) is used to transmitdata and a digital receiver (within microprocessor 104B; not shown) isused to receive data. Microprocessor 104B controls random numbergenerator 104A via path 104M to (i) command RNG 104A to generate anN-digit string of numbers and (ii) obtain said N-number string ofnumbers from RNG 104A and confirm that the previously generated N-digitstring has not been replicated. RNG 104A may also contain circuitry thatprevent it from generating consecutive duplicate N-digit strings.Microprocessor 104B also uses path 104M to obtain from RNG 104A thegenerated N-digit string of numbers; N is an integer equal to 2 orgreater.

The CSD 104 of the present invention has been described above in thecontext of (i) being part of a communication equipment (see FIG. 1);(ii) being in communication with a communication equipment (see FIG. 2)and (iii) being part of a telephone (see FIG. 3). An embodiment of CSD104 is depicted in FIG. 4 and such an embodiment is described as havingthe capability of operating within a digital network (e.g., Internet) oranalog networks (e.g., POTS and PSTN). That is, CSD 104 can be used withstandard telephones or IP phones. The operation of CSD 104 in accordancewith the method of the present invention as depicted in FIG. 5 will nowbe discussed.

In step 410, an incoming call has been initiated and a ring signal isdetected. In addition to the ring signal, caller id information (i.e.,telephone number of the calling party) is also typically available. Thering signal is intercepted and an assessment of the caller idinformation is performed by CSD 104 to determine if the call is to beallowed or if the call should be terminated. The caller id informationprovides, inter alia, the telephone number of the calling party. CSD 104may then confirm whether the telephone number of the calling partymatches a number from a list of numbers (and corresponding names)associated with the called telephone and deemed acceptable numbers. Ifthe calling party's telephone number is deemed an acceptable telephonenumber, then the ring signal is allowed to pass through and thetelephone call is processed as per the protocol(s) being followed by thecommunication equipment and/or the called telephone. An acceptabletelephone number is a telephone number of a person known by theowner/operator of the called telephone and is on the list accessible tomicroprocessor 104B of CSD 104. Also, CSD 104, may be programmed not tomonitor calls during certain hours of a weekday. Say, for example,during business hours (9:00 am to 5 pm), CSD 104 may be deactivated andthus all calls will be processed by the communication equipment 102and/or by the called telephone as per the protocol being followed by thecommunication system within which the telephone resides.

Therefore, in step 412, if the call is from an acceptable party (i.e., aparty whose number appears on the list of acceptable calling parties),the method of the present invention moves to step 426 and processes thecall as per the protocol being followed. For the systems of FIGS. 1 and2, the CSD 104 allows communication equipment 102 to process thetelephone as per the protocol(s) being followed by communication network100.

For FIGS. 1 and 2 communication network 100 and the communicationequipment coupled thereto (e.g., communication equipment 102, telephones110 and 112, and communication links 106 and 112) may be constructed andoperated in accordance with a communication standard having variouscommunication protocols that are followed in order to properly operatethe equipment that form part of communication network 100. Acommunication standard comprises a set of rules and regulationsestablished by technology based organizations, governmental bodies, or aconsortium of business organizations that dictate the operation ofdevices and systems within a communication network. The rules andregulations also control the constitution and characteristics of signalsused for communication between two or more distinct communicationequipment. Generally, a protocol is an established procedure or a set ofwell-established procedures that is part of a communication standard. Acommunication protocol, for example, may dictate how two or morecommunication equipment initiate communication with each other within acommunication network or system and maintain communication in a mannerthat complies with a communication standard.

Continuing with the method of the present invention, if the call is notfrom an acceptable party or the call is originated during off businesshours, then the method of the present invention moves to step 414.

In step 414 microprocessor 104B instructs random number generator 104A,via path 104M, to randomly generate a N-digit string of numbers where Nis an integer equal to 2 or greater. Microprocessor 104B then obtains(via path 104M) the generated N-digit string and the method of thepresent moves to step 416. RNG 104A has circuitry that is designed toavoid the generation of consecutive duplicate strings of numbers and toconfirm that the N-digit string of numbers is not the same as theprevious N-digit string of numbers.

In step 416, microprocessor generates a message or obtains a pre-formedmessage at least part of which contains the N-digit string of numbersrandomly generated by random number generator 104A. The message maycontain an instruction at least involving dialing the N-digit string ofnumbers. For example, the message may be the following: “Hello, you havereached the number [ . . . (INSERT) . . . ], please state your nameclearly and dial the following numbers . . . [ . . . (INSERT) . . . ]followed by the [ . . . (INSERT) . . . ] sign.” The first insert wouldinclude the telephone number; the second insert would include the actualstring of numbers obtained from the random number generator and thethird insert would include a symbol such as the pound sign (#). Thetransmitted message may be synthesized through the use of speechsynthesis or speech synthesizer software/hardware or it may be apre-recorded message with the N-digit string of numbers injected intoeach new message. The transmitted message may also be a text message.For an IP phone, the message is transmitted from port 112A overcommunication link 112. For an analog phone such as the one depicted inFIG. 3, the message is generated by microprocessor 104B. Themicroprocessor then closes switches 104G and 104H and applies themessage to the input of differential transmitter 104D which transmitsthe message over paths 104J and 104K to the calling party. It will bereadily obvious that variations of the message can be used to instructthe calling party as to how to respond. The purpose of the message is toeliminate the automated calls. The machines or computer with which suchcalls are made would be unable to follow the instructions of themessages generated by microprocessor 104B. Various methods can be usedto generate the message. However such a message is preferably generatedin the form of one or more instructions that are transmitted to thecalling party.

In step 418, microprocessor 104B of CSD 104 waits for a response to theinstructions included in the transmitted message. If the response is notreceived within a defined period of time preset by microprocessor 104B,then the call is terminated. It should be noted that an operator or userof a telephone having the CSD of the present invention installedtherein, may also be able to preset the defined period of time throughoperation or activation of a component of the telephone that interfaceswith the microprocessor 104B of the CSD. For example, the dial pad 214of FIG. 3 (e.g., dial pad is able to communicate with microprocessor104B of CSC 104) can be used in conjunction with a procedure establishedby the manufacturer of the telephone to set the defined period of time.Further, a user of the systems of FIGS. 1 and 2 may set the definedperiod of time by contacting the service provider of those systems. Aproper response, for the above described transmitted message, would atleast include the dialing of the N-digit string of randomly generatednumbers that were part of the transmitted message; presumably anoperator of the called telephone would have performed the dialing task.If the response to the message is timely, but not correct, the call isalso terminated. An incorrect response, may for example, be where thedialed numbers do not match the numbers of the N-digit string of numberscontained in the transmitted message. Upon transmission of the message,if a response is not received within the defined period of time or ifthe response is not correct, then the method of the present inventionmoves to step 424.

In step 424, the response (if any) has been deemed or determined to beincorrect or untimely or both. The ring signal is not allowed to bereceived by the called telephone, and the call is terminated by CSD 104.Termination of the call may be achieved by not answering the call; thatis, the hook switch 220 of FIG. 3, for example, is never closed.Alternatively, the hook switch 220 may be temporarily closed and thenopened which has the effect of “hanging up” on the caller. Thetransmitted message contains instructions to the calling party on how torespond to the message; the response at least involves the dialing ofthe randomly generated numbers. For example, suppose telephone 110 (ofFIGS. 1 and 2) is calling telephone 112. Suppose further, that telephone112 is constituted as shown in FIG. 3. Upon detecting the incoming calland the ring signal, CSD 104 intercepts the ring signals and does notallow it to be received by ring circuit 216; that is, the telephone doesnot ring. After transmitting the message described in step 416 above andafter having received a response prior to the expiration of the definedtime period, the CSD 104 receives and processes receives the response.If the response, including the dialed digits, is determined bymicroprocessor 104B to be correct, then the method of the presentinvention moves to step 422.

In step 422, the ring signal is allowed to be processed; that is, it isallowed to pass through to ring circuit 216 causing the telephone toring. An operator of the telephone may answer the telephone causing hookswitch 220 to close and thus the call is allowed to be completed.

While various aspects of the present invention have been describedabove, it should be understood that they have been presented by way ofexample and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled inthe relevant art(s) that various changes in form and detail can be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any ofthe above described exemplary aspects, but should be defined only inaccordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

In addition, it should be understood that the figures in theattachments, which highlight the structure, methodology, functionalityand advantages of the present invention, are presented for examplepurposes only. The present invention is sufficiently flexible andconfigurable, such that it may be implemented in ways other than thatshown in the accompanying figures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for screening telephone calls by a call screening device, the method comprises: transmitting, by the call screening device in response to an incoming call, a message containing instructions at least part of which comprises a new randomly generated N-digit string of numbers where N is an integer equal to 2 or greater; and allowing, by the call screening device, establishment of the incoming call to be completed when the new randomly generated N-digit string of numbers is different from an immediately previous randomly generated N-digit string of numbers and a received response to the transmitted message was correct and timely.
 2. The method of claim 1 where the call screening device is coupled to an IP telephone.
 3. The method of claim 1 where the call screening device is coupled to a POTS telephone.
 4. The method of claim 1 where the call screening device is coupled to a PSTN telephone.
 5. The method of claim 1 where the call screening device is coupled to a communication switch coupled to one or more telephones that are part of one of a POTS, a PSTN and the Internet communication network.
 6. The method of claim 1 where the transmitted message is a speech synthesized message.
 7. The method of claim 1 where the step of transmitting a message comprises intercepting a ring signal.
 8. The method of claim 7 where the step of allowing the incoming call to be completed comprises allowing the ring signal of the incoming call to be processed.
 9. The method of claim 7 where the ring signal of the incoming call is not processed when the response to the transmitted message is incorrect or is untimely.
 10. The method of claim 7 where the incoming call is from a calling party having a telephone number obtained from caller id information of the incoming call and where the ring signal is processed and the establishment of the incoming is completed if the telephone number of the calling party matches a telephone number from a list of acceptable telephone numbers accessible to the call screening device.
 11. The method of claim 1 where the step of transmitting a message comprises generating a message based on at least instructions to dial the new randomly generated N-digit string of numbers in the received response to the transmitted message.
 12. The method of claim 1 where the step of transmitting a message further comprises receiving the response message and determining whether the response is timely and complies with the instructions of the transmitted message.
 13. The method of claim 1 where the defined period of time is a pre-set time period.
 14. The method of claim 1 where the response comprises at least dialed string of the N randomly generated numbers where N is an integer equal to 2 or greater.
 15. The method of claim 1 where the incoming call is terminated when the response to the transmitted message is deemed to be one of incorrect and untimely. 